EUROtalk eJournal

EUROtalk eJournals assist automotive suppliers in succeeding in the European automotive industry.

October, 2005

Eastern Europe: What Bankers Know
Why are bankers aggressively staking their claims east of the Danube? Bankers are economic bell-wethers, often the first to arrive on the scene of a new or revitalised market opportunity. In Euro (...) read on

Logistics in Eastern Europe moves at a snail's pace
One year after expansion, the new European Union nations aren't doing much for logistics It's an old story: Jobs move to where labor costs are lower. But it's also a common experience that other (...) read on

Employment Four Times Costlier in Western Europe Than in The East
"Employment costs considerably influence the choices of political, economic, and social decision makers, as they account for some two thirds of the production costs of goods and services. Moreover, knowledge of emplo (...) read on

Germany: Vicious Circle of Decline in the East?
The east's promised "flourishing landscapes" haven't materialized A new study out warns that eastern Germany could be trapped in a vicious circle of depopulation and shrinking investmen (...) read on

“Do What It Takes” vs. “Make No Mistakes”
How cultural differences between Germans and Americans affect the decision making and problem solving process in engineering and project development – two strategic functions for global success. Why aren't they (...) read on

Knowledge Economy: Why Universities Threaten Europe's Competitiveness
Europe's ambition to become the world's leading knowledge economy” by 2010 is menaced by its failing higher education system, warns The Economist. Knowledge is slowly replacing physical resources as the main driver of g (...) read on

Can Germany Get Going?
With growth so sluggish, the country sorely needs strong reform. Will the new government deliver? Germany remains in a funk. Gross domestic product growth in the euro zone's largest economy is still subdued. And (...) read on

Eastern Europe: Autonomy and Performance of Foreign Subsidiaries in Five Transition Countries
ABSTRACT The paper analyses the link between the autonomy according to business function and the performance of foreign subsidiaries in Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Estonia. The novelt (...) read on

UK: Large Premium Increases on Company Pension Plans Lie Ahead
Employers with defined benefit plans are facing massive premium increases next year when the risk-based levy required by the Pensions Act of 2004 goes into effect. The new premiums are payable to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) beg (...) read on

Hyundai Settles on Ostrava as Site for Czech Plant, But Farmers Won't Sell It Land
Hyundai settled on the city of Ostrava, 150 miles east of Prague, as the site for the new European plant for which it announced plans a couple of weeks ago (JAD 10/3). But the Korea Times, which is the English ed (...) read on

Just in Time: SOX vs. Europe
Here's a brief summary of the recent actions in France and Germany: France In May 2005, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (NCIL) den (...) read on